Instrument lighting system and shield



June 14, 1955 w. G. GRIMES INSTRUMENT LIGHTING SYSTEM AND SHIELD Z-Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 2'7, 1950 ms T E mm R We 1 G N E R R A W ATTORNEY June 14, 1955 w. G. GRIMES 2,710,910

INSTRUMENT LIGHTING SYSTEM AND SHIELD Filed July 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WARREN G. CRIMES ATTORNEY United States Patent INSTRUMENT LIGHTING SYSTEM AND SHIELD Warren G. Grimes, Urbana, Ohio Application July 27, 1950, Serial No. 176,153

17 Claims. (Cl. 240-21) This invention relates to an instrument lighting system and cover shield and more particularly to an instrument lighting system and cover shield arranged for use in vehicular instrument panels, particularly in aircraft.

It is the general practice in providing a cover panel for instrument lighting to employ a single cover panel particularly made to take care of all the lighting arrangements on the instrument panel. This type of panel is disadvantageous both in production and in use in that great care must be taken in making the cutout properly fit the individual instruments or else the entire panel will be substantially useless. Furthermore, such panel lacks flexibility and should an additional instrument be necessary, or a ditferent arrangement of instruments be necessary, a different cover panel will be required. As an improvement over this it has been proposed to provide individual lighting cover panels each designed for fitting on an individual instrument. However, such previously proposed individual instrument lighting cover panels as have been provided have a separable back plate and front cover therefor. A further feature of such previous instrument cover panels is that each lamp socket is also separately detachable from the back plate. A disadvantageous result of these features is that these parts may be separated whenever it is necessary to replace a burned out lamp bulb, with the attendant disadvantage that one or more of the temporarily separated parts may become misplaced or damaged, thereby making it necessary to secure a replacement thereof before it can be reassembled. It is an object of this invention to provide an individual instrument cover panel in which the only separable part is the lamp bulb which is to be detached and replaced, facilitating the replacement of the lamp bulb with great rapidity and making it impossible for any part ofthe cover panel to be misplaced or to be damaged while removed therefrom.

A further object of this invention is to provide a satisfactory individual instrument lighting system and cover shield which is of extremely small size, fits the face of the instrument, and permits extremely close instrument spacing.

A further object of this invention is to provide an instrument light shield having a top cover hingedly and non-detachably connected thereto for covering the lamps and facilitating servicing and ready replacement of the lamps.

A further object of this invention is to provide a lamp housing that is non-detachably hinged to the base so as to permit ready lamp replacements.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a half reflecting surface in the hinged lamp housing to increase the amount of light directed downwardly toward the instrument.

Still a further object .of this invention is to provide a simple method of wiring the lamp housings and of hingedly and non-detachably fastening the lamp housings to the back plate of the shield or cover panel.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a cover panel or shield design for front and rear mounted instruments, the shield design for front mounted instruments including spacer washers integrally extending on the back of the shield with respect to the dial of the instrument while shields designed for instruments mounted on the rear of the instrument panel omit such integral washers from the shields since the instrument panel provides the necessary spacing.

A further object of this invention is to provide an instrument lighting shield, in which all parts except the lamp or lamps are non-detachable, which mounts on the regular instrument mounting holes and is held thereto by the regular instrument mounting screws.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide maximum instrument visibility.

Still a further object of this invention is to so shape the parts of the shield so as to provide good light distribution and cut down or eliminate hot spots or spots overlighted in proportion to the remainder of the instrument.

Still a further object of this invention is to dish in the top center section of the shield to make the maximum portion of the instrument face visible to one looking downwardly thereat at the maximum possible angle.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide an instrument lighting system and an instrument light shield that will provide proper light distribution which will meet desirable requirements of brightness and uniformity.

A further object of this invention is to provide an instrument lighting system and shield which will include all the aforesaid objects and may be shaped to fit any particular instrument, even though the instrument may be such as to require that the shield cover only a top edge thereof, or be shaped to fit around a bottom or side instrument control knob.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, as will hereinafter become apparent, this invention includes the combinations, constructions and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth, disclosed and illustrated on the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a top plan view of one form of instrument lighting shield of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar view with the cover plate hinged to open position and one of the lamp housings hinged to the position for replacing the lamp and showing the lighting system.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is aside edge plan view.

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of a form where the shield omits the light trap at the lower edge.

Fig. 6 is a side plan view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on line 8-8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on line 10-10 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing a lamp, lamp socket, conductor plate, insulation sheet and wiring means thereto.

Fig. 12 is a perspective, partly X-ray view of the assembled lamp socket.

There is shown at 10 a fragment of an instrument panel on which is front mounted an instrument 11 by means of regular instrument mounting screws or studs 12 extending through the usual somewhat squared instrument flange 13 which includes the usual bezel 14. Attached to the front of the instrument flange 13 by the same instrument mounting screws 12 is the instrument lighting shield 15 of this invention. This instrument lighting shield 15 includes a back plate 16 shaped generally somewhat squared as shown in Fig. 3 but having somewhat angular corners and provided with integrally extending washers 17 about each of the screw holes 18 through which the instrument screws 12 extend. As will be seen in Fig. 4, the integral washers 17 are of the same height as that of the bezel 14 and serve to space the shield from the front of the instrument flange 13 so that the light may shine onto the face 19 of the instrument 11. If the instrument 11 is rear mounted, then the washers 17 will be omitted inasmuch as the instrument panel opening surrounds the instrument bezel 14 between the front of flange 13 and the back plate 16 and the washers are unnecessary.

The back plate 16 has a flanged light trap plate 20 integrally riveted thereto as at its lower edge at 21 and extending about half way up the sides. The back plate 16 has an upstanding flange 22 extending around the side and top and bottom edges thereof and at about the mid-point of the upstanding side flanges 22 just above the upper ends of the light trap plate 20 there are hinge pivots 23 extending therethrough for hingedly and nondetaehably securing the light shield cover 24 thereto, movable between the closed position 24 and the open position 24' shown in Fig. 4. This light shield cover 24 is shaped as shown, complementary to the shape of the upper portion of the bottom plate and upstanding flange thereon. As will be seen, both the bottom plate, upstanding flange, and the light shield 24 are provided with angular corners 2S and riveted to the top of each angular corner of the light shield cover 24 and extending over the flanged edge 29 thereof is a leaf spring 26 having a rounded end 27 latching through a recessed edge 28 at the bottom of the light shield flanged edge 29 so that when moving from the open position 24 to the closed position 24, this yieldable rounded edge 27 passes over the edge of the bottom plate 16 and yieldably engages the same to hold the shield cover 24 in closed position.

It will also be noted in Fig. 1 that the shield cover 24 is provided with a centrally depressed or bevelled portion 30 having an angle of substantially 30 substantially equal to the angle conventionally present on the front of the instrument bezel 14 and thereby permitting maximum visibility of the face of the instrument 11 when looking downwardly thereat. The front face 31 of the back plate 16 provides a base on which is mounted the lighting system of this invention partially shown in the t exploded view Fig. 11.

This lighting system 32 includes a conductor plate or bar 33 to which is soldered a conductor wire 34. The conductor plate or bar 33 is provided with large apertures 35 at each end so that the plate 33 may be fasw tened within a folded over insulator sheet 36 and secured within said sheet by means of rivets 37 which rivets serve to secure the assembled insulator sheet 36 and bar 33 to the face 31 of the back plate 16, the conductor plate 33 being thus secured to, but insulated from, the metal of the base plate 16. integrally extending upwardly from each end of the conductor plate 33 is a finger 38 having a pivot hole 40 for receiving a hinge pivot 41 which secures hinge bifurcations 42 thereto, the hinge bifurcations 42 extending through the closed end of a lamp socket insulating sleeve 43. This lamp sleeve 43 is made of a plastic material, either transparent or suitably colored, preferably red, so that just the proper tint and amount of light may travel therethrough.

Secured within the insulating sleeve 43 is the lamp holder 44 in the shape of a metallic sleeve open at one end 45 and cutaway at its center in a semi-circular annulus 46 for permitting light to pass therethrough from the peanut size lamp 47 and its filament 48. The lamp may be retained in its holder 44 by a spring 49 mounted within a circumferential groove within the holder 44 near its open edge 45. The hinge bifurcations 42 are integral with the closed end of lamp holder 44 and extend through the closed end of socket sleeve 43. The

lamp 47 has a cylindrical conductor side 50 separated by an insulator base plate 51 from a central electrode 52, one end of filament 48 being connected to the electrode 52 and the other end being connected to the inside of the cylindrical conductor side 50. The lamp socket insulating sleeve 43 is provided with a recessed edge 53 so that when the lamp 47 is within the lamp holder 44 within the insulating sleeve 43, it will be possible to place ones fingernail behind the lamp base plate 51 to withdraw the lamp for replacement purposes.

Riveted to the base plate 16 at 54 on the opposite side of the screw opening 17 from hinge finger 38 is a switch contact 55 having a yieldable contact finger 56 with a rolled edge 57 so located that when the lamp socket 43 (and contained lamp 47) is hinged down to the operating light giving position, the lamp electrode 52 will have the rolled edge 57 of contact finger 56 ride over the lamp insulating base plate 51 yieldably pressing thereagainst to push the lamp firmly into the socket, if not already tight thereon and then over electrode 52, thus providing a conductor path from the wire 34 through the bar or .plate 33, through the plate hinge finger 38, the pivot pin 41, the hinge bifurcations 42, the lamp holder 44, the lamp side 50, the filament 48, the lamp electrode 52, the contact finger 56, the rivets 54, the base plate 16, and thus through screws 18 to the instrument and to ground. A piece of insulating spaghetti S8 surrounds the wire 34 after it passes through an appropriately located aperture 60 in the insulation sheet 36 and then through an aperture 61 in the base plate 16 to a source of electricity. The other end of the longitudinal conductor bar 33 may be provided with an identical hinge finger 38 and associated lamp socket, lamp 47 and contact parts. However, only a single lamp socket and associated parts may be provided if desired. It a return wire system is needed instead of the single wire ground return system here shown, the return wirc would obviously be connected to the contact member 55 which would be separated from the base plate 16 by a suitable insulator sheet and suitably secured.

It is desirable that the proper amount of light reach the instrument face, that such light be properly distributed thereover and that bright or hot spots be avoided. The inner annular edge 62 of base plate 16 is flanged upwardly at 63 a slight distance in front of the lamp 47 and prevents direct rays from the lamp 47 therebehind from reaching the instrument face at too close a point. In this same area the light shield cover 24 has a somewhat raised (ill bevelled surface 64 having an edge 65 permitting light from the lamp 47 to travel downwardly to the instrument face at a suitable angle. Light that travels beyond the instrument face will be at least partially trapped by the .light trap plate 20 which is secured over the base plate 16 over and about the upstanding flange 22 thereof. This will prevent this light from passing beyond the instrument and causing interference with proper visibility of a lower instrument mounted on the same instrument board.

However, this is of no concern in connection with an instrument in the lowermost row-on an instrument panel and in such case the light trap plate 20 and the corresponding portion of the base plate and flange 22 may be entirely omitted as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, where the light shield cover 24 is pivoted to an upstanding flange 22 of a half base plate which carries the same lighting system 32 as the full base plate. In order to provide a greater angle of visibility to the lowermost row of instruments, this half base plate 16' has its screw hole and washer member 17' placed about A further from the upper top edge thereby resulting in elevating the depressed edge 30' of the cover shield 24 that much higher than the instrument bezel 14 thus providing a greater angle of visibility. It will also be observed in Fig. 2 that the screw holes located beneath the lamp sockets are countersunk as at 66 so that the heads of the screws 12 when inserted therethrough will not interfere with the lamp socket 43 from pivoting from the raised position shown on the left side of Fig. 2 to the operative light giving position shown on the right side of Fig. 2.

In operation the lamp system and the instrument light cover shield parts are all non-detachably integrally or hingedly secured together except for the lamp 47. Only the lamp 47 is removable and replaceable and none of the remaining parts can be detached and mislaid or accidentally ruined so long as the instrument lighting shield remains attached to its instrument 11 by means of the screws or studs 12. If a lamp burns out, it is replaced by first raising the light cover shield 24 about its hinge pivots 23 then raising the lamp socket 43 about its hinge pin 41, removing and discarding the burned out lamp bulb and replacing with a fresh one, then restoring lamp socket 43 to its operative light giving position by hinging it down to bring the lamp electrode 52 into contact with the yieldable switch contact 56 and then pivoting the lamp shield cover 24 down to the covering position again. Light from the lamp 47 passes through the opening 46 in the lamp holder 44, through the transparent or colored translucent socket sleeve 43 and on to the instrument face 19, nearby direct rays being blocked by flange 63 and excess light being trapped by the light trap from affecting the visibility of a lower instrument, or from reflecting back from the top of a lamp shield on a lower instrument.

While the preferred form of this invention has been shown and described, it will be understood that this invention is not restricted to the particular details of construction and arrangement hereinbefore set forth, but that changes in such details and construction may be made within the scope of what is hereinafter claimed without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of this invention, what is claimed is:

1. For use with an instrument panel adapted to have a plurality of instruments mounted thereon and securing means extending between the face of the instruments and the instrument panel, an individual instrument lighting shield and lighting system comprising a shield base plate having apertures for cooperation with the instrument securing means for securing said shield base plate thereto, a lighting system including a lamp socket, a lamp removably received in said lamp socket, said lamp socket being pivotedly and non-detachably hinged at one end on said base plate for movement between a light giving position adjacent said base plate and a lamp replacing position away therefrom, the other end of said lamp socket being open and accessible only in the lamp replacing position, a lamp contact extending across and closing said open socket end and making contact with said lamp therein when said lamp socket and lamp are in light giving position adjacent said base plate, and a light shield cover nondetachably hinged to said base plate to cover said base plate and lighting system, whereby said lamp in said lamp socket may be removed and replaced after first swinging the light shield cover upwardly without detaching any parts.

2. For use with an instrument panel adapted to have a plurality of instruments mounted thereon and securing means extending between the face of the instruments and the instrument panel, an individual instrument lighting shield and lighting system comprising a shield base plate having apertures for cooperation with the instrument securing means for securing said shield base plate thereto, a lighting system mounted on said base plate, said lighting system including a lamp socket open at one end, a conductor plate, said lamp socket being conductively and pivotally non-detachably hinged to said conductor plate, means insulatably securing said conductor plate to said base plate, conductor means electrically connected to said conductor plate from a source of electricity, a lamp removably received within said lamp socket through said open end, said lamp having an electrode extending through said open end, a yieldable contact member mounted on said shield base plate contacting said extending lamp electrode when said lamp housing is pivoted down against the base plate to complete a circuit to ground and prevent removal of said lamp in such position, whereby the lamp within said lamp socket may be removed and replaced after first swinging said lamp socket upwardly without detaching any parts.

3. For use with an instrument panel adapted to have a plurality of instruments mounted thereon in close proximity and securing means extending between the face of the instruments and the instrument board, an individual instrument lighting shield and lighting system comprising a shield base plate substantially the size of an instrument face and having apertures for cooperation with the instrument securing means for securing said shield base plate thereto, a lighting system mounted on said base plate and a light shield cover nondetachably pivoted to said base plate to cover said base plate and lighting system, said lighting system including a lamp socket pivotally and non-detachably hinged for movement between a light-giving position adjacent said base plate and a raised lamp replacement position while said shield cover is raised away from said base plate, said lamp socket being open at one end, and a lamp contact mounted on said shield adjacent said open socket end to contact a lamp removably received therein and prevent its removal while in such light-giving position, whereby the lamp within said lamp socket may be removed and replaced after first swinging the lighting shield and lamp socket upwardly without detaching any parts.

4. For use with an instrument panel adapted to have a plurality of instruments mounted thereon and securing means extending between the face of the instruments and the instrument panel, an individual instrument lighting shield and lighting system comprising a shield base plate having apertures for cooperation with the instrument securing means for securing said shield base plate thereto, a lighting system mounted on said base plate and a light shield cover non-detachably hinged to said base plate to direct light rays to the instrument face and to cover said base plate and lighting system, said lighting system including a lamp socket open at one end, a conductor plate, said lamp socket being pivotally and nondetachably hinged to said conductor plate, means insulatably securing said conductor plate to said base plate, conductor means electrically connected to said conductor plate from a source of electricity, a lamp removably received within said lamp socket, said lamp having an electrode extending through said open end of said lamp socket, a yieldable rolled edge contact member mounted on said shield base plate to ride over and contact said lamp electrode to complete a circuit to ground and prevent removal of said removably received lamp when said lamp socket is pivoted down against the base plate, said base plate and said shield cover having spaced apart light directing and limiting edges adjacent said lamp socket, whereby the lamp within said lamp socket may be removed and replaced after first swinging the light shield cover and the lamp socket upwardly without detaching any parts.

5. For use with an instrument panel adapted to have a plurality of instruments mounted thereon in close proximity and securing means extending between the face of the instruments and the instrument panel, an individual instrument lighting shield and lighting system comprising a shield base plate having countersunk apertures for cooperation with the instrument securing means for securing said shield base plate thereto, a lighting system mounted on said base plate and a light shield cover non-detachably hinged to said base plate to cover said lighting system and direct light rays to the instrument face, said light shield cover having a depressed top center portion and a bevelled surface on the instrument face side thereof, said lighting system including a lamp socket comprising a translucent sleeve and a light ray limiting and circuit conducting lamp holder therewithin, a conductor plate, said lamp socket being pivotally and nondetachably hinged to said conductor plate to extend over one of said countersunk apertures in light-giving position, means insulatably securing said conductor plate to said base plate, conductor means electrically connected to said conductor plate from a source of electricity, a lamp removably received within said lamp socket, said lamp having an extending electrode, a yieldable rolled edge contact member mounted on said shield base plate to ride over and contact said lamp electrode to complete a circuit to ground when said lamp socket is pivoted down against the base plate, said base plate and said shield cover having spaced apart light limiting and directing edges adjacent said lamp socket, said edge of said base plate being upstanding at said lamp socket area, whereby the lamp within said lamp socket may be removed and replaced after first swinging the light shield cover and the lamp socket upwardly without detaching any parts.

6. An individual lighting system for an indicia bearing face comprising a back plate, a pair of lamp sockets pivotally and non-detachably hinged at one of their ends to said back plate, a lamp removably received in each of said sockets, said lamp socket having an open end opposite from its pivoted end, through which open end said lamp is inserted with its base electrode extending from said open end, a lamp contact mounted on said back plate adjacent each said open socket end to close said end, contact the electrode of said lamp therewithin and hold said lamp in said socket only while said lamp and lamp socket are in light-giving position adjacent said plate, a light shield non-detachably hinged to said back plate to be raised for access to said lamp sockets without detaching any part thereof, each said lamp socket to be hinged up from said back plate, while said light shield cover is raised up, to permit access thereto for removing or replacing the lamp therein without detaching any part thereof.

7. An individual instrument face lighting device comprising a plate to be fitted about the instrument face, a conductor plate insulatably mounted on said plate, a grounding contact member mounted on said plate and spaced from said conductor plate, a lamp socket nondetachably hinged at one end to said conductor plate and having its other end open and cxtendable toward said contact member to be pivoted from a position beis in extended position, said lamp grounding contact extending across said open end of said lamp socket completing the circuit to the lamp therein and preventing its removal while in the position between said conductor plate and said lamp grounding contact.

8. An individual instrument face lighting device comprising a back plate to be fitted about the instrument face, a conductor plate insulatably mounted on said back plate, a conductive lamp socket non-detachably hinged at one end to said conductor plate and having its other end open and movable from a position against said back plate to a position extending away from said back plate, a lamp removably received in said lamp socket while it is in extended position through said open end with its electrode extending from said open end, a lamp contact extending from said back plate across said lamp socket open end, contacting the electrode of said lamp therewithin and preventing removal of said lamp only while said socket is in the position against said back plate, and a light cover shield non-detachably hinged to said back plate over said conductor plate and lamp socket to be hinged away from said back plate to permit access to said lamp socket.

9. An individual instrument face lighting device comprising a back plate to be fitted about the instrument face, a longitudinally extending conductor plate insulatably mounted on said back plate, a conductive lamp socket non-detachably hinged at one end to each end of said conductor plate, the other end of said socket being open and movable from a position against said back plate to a position extending away from said back plate, a lamp removably received within said socket through said open end thereof while it is in extended position, and a light cover shield non-detachably hinged to said back plate over said conductor plate and lamp sockets to be hinged away from said back plate to permit access to said lamp sockets.

10. An individual lighting system for an indicia bearing face comprising a back plate, a conductor plate insulatably mounted on said back plate, a lamp socket, open at one end, having its other end hingedly and non-detachably secured to said conductor plate, a lamp removably received within said socket with its electrode extending through said open end, a lamp contact mounted on said back plate adjacent said open end of said socket to make contact with the lamp electrode of said lamp therewithin and prevent removal of said lamp while in light giving position adjacent said back plate and a light shield cover non-detachably hinged to said back plate to be raised for access to said lamp socket without detaching any part thereof.

11. In a lighting system, a lamp socket comprising an opaque electrically conductive sleeve lamp holder and a light transmitting insulating sleeve, said insulating sleeve enveloping said conductive sleeve lamp holder, both sleeves being open at one same end, a lamp removably received within said conductive sleeve lamp holder through said open end, said conductive sleeve lamp holder having an opening in one side limiting and directing the light rays therethrough from a lamp therewithin, the opposite end of said sleeve lamp holder being closed and complementary shaped to the glass envelope of the lamp, said insulating sleeve having the edge of its open end extending somewhat beyond the open end of said lamp holder, but having a partially recessed edge permitting access to an edge of the lamp base of said contained lamp for withdrawing such contained lamp therefrom.

12. In a lighting system, a lamp socket comprising an opaque electrically conductive sleeve lamp holder and a light transmitting insulating sleeve, said insulating sleeve enveloping said conductive sleeve lamp holder, both sleeves being open at one same end, a lamp removably received within said conductive sleeve lamp holder through said open end, said conductive sleeve lamp holder having a cut-away area limiting and directing the light rays therethrough from the lamp therewithin, the opposite end of said sleeve lamp holder being closed and complementary shaped to the glass envelope of the lamp, hinge means extending from said closed end of said lamp holder through said insulating sleeve, a base to which said hinge means are pivoted, the lamp having an axially extending electrode, a yieldable rolled edge contact member mounted on said base in such spaced relation to said pivoted hinge means that when the lamp socket is pivoted against said base, said yieldable rolled edge contact member rides over and contacts said lamp electrode to press said lamp within said lamp holder.

13. In a lighting system, a lamp socket comprising an opaque electrically conductive sleeve lamp holder and a light transmitting insulating sleeve, said insulating sleeve enveloping said conductive sleeve lamp holder, both sleeves being open at one same end, a lamp re movably received within said conductive sleeve lamp holder through said open end, said conductive sleeve lamp holder having an opening in one side limiting and directing the light rays therethrough from a lamp therewithin, the opposite end of said sleeve lamp holder being closed and complementary shaped to the glass envelope of the lamp, hinge means extending from said closed end of said lamp holder through said insulating sleeve, said insulating sleeve having the edge of its open end extending somewhat beyond the open end of said lamp holder, but having a partially recessed edge permitting access to an edge of the lamp base of said contained lamp for withdrawing such contained lamp therefrom, a base to which said hinge means are pivoted, the lamp having an axially extending electrode, a yieldable rolled edge contact member mounted on said base in such spaced relation to said pivoted hinge means that when the lamp socket is pivoted against said base, said yieldable rolled edge contact member rides over and contacts said lamp electrode to press said lamp within said lamp holder.

14. In a lighting system, a lamp socket closed at one end and open at the other end, a lamp removably received therewithin having an electrode extending therefrom through said socket open end, said lamp socket comprising an opaque electrically conductive lamp holder having a light ray limiting and directing cut-away area therein and a surrounding light transmitting insulating sleeve, said sleeve having a partially recessed edge permitting access to the edge of said contained lamp for removing such contained lamp.

15. In a lighting system, a lamp socket closed at one end and open at the other end, a lamp removably received therewithin having an electrode extending therefrom through said socket open end, said lamp socket comprising an opaque electrically conductive lamp holder having a light ray limiting and directing cut-away area therein and a surrounding light transmitting insulating sleeve, said sleeve having a partially recessed edge permitting access to the edge of said contained lamp for removing such contained lamp, said recessed edge being in longitudinal alignment with said light ray cut-away area of said lamp holder.

16. In a lighting system, a lamp socket closed at one end and open at the other end, a lamp removably received therewithin having an electrode extending therefrom through said socket open end, said lamp socket comprising an oqaque electrically conductive lamp holder having a light ray limiting and directing cut-away area in one side thereof and a surrounding light transmitting insulating sleeve, a base, a rolled edge yieldable contact member mounted on said base adjacent the open end of said socket, and means for pivotally hinging said lamp socket at its closed end to said base in such spaced relation to said contact member that said socket may be pivoted against said base with said lamp electrode riding over said rolled edge of said contact to press said lamp within said socket, said contact preventing removal of the lamp while said contact is pressed against the lamp electrode.

17. In a lighting system, a lamp socket closed at one end and open at the other end, a lamp removably received therewithin having an electrode extending therefrom through said socket open end, said lamp socket comprising an opaque electrically conductive lamp holder having a light ray limiting and directing cut-away area in one side thereof and a surrounding light transmitting insulating sleeve, said sleeve having a partially recessed edge permitting access to the edge of said contained lamp for removing such contained lamp, said recessed edge being in longitudinal alignment with said light ray cut-away area of said lamp holder, a base, a rolled edge yieldable contact member mounted on said base, and means for pivotally hinging said lamp socket to said base in such spaced relation to said contact member that said socket may be pivoted against said base with said lamp electrode riding over said rolled edge of said contact to press said lamp Within said socket.

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